The beauty of hand painted floors can be added at almost any time. The common misconception is that floors need to be painted at installation, but thankfully floors can be painted at any time! There are a few simple steps: Have the floors screened by a floor refinishing company. They come in a scuff the floor in order that the paint adheres well. After that we come in with the painted pattern, done in either a sheer glazed style so the grain shows through, or opaque and painterly cutting out all the woodgrain. The floor refinishers put 2 top coats and to protect the pattern and that’s it! Super durable and easy to care for.
This Alexandria home is undergoing significant renovations, so it was super smart to have the floors refinished at the same time. The floors were stained in Perfect Gray then painted with the Octagonal Key pattern. (Check out that layout, thank goodness we love geometry!).
What I love about this design is that there are so many variations. One of the first that we did in Chevy Chase was done in natural brown wood tones, sealed with a high gloss. Very formal and elegant.
A dining room in New York with a star medallion in each octagon.
We call this Octagonal Key more of a fretwork pattern because we’re painting the lines of the outside of the octagon, not the inside. This dining room in Ashville also had a border in a soft organic style.
Most of the wood floors we do are in wood tones, but occasionally we’re asked to do something in color. How about orange! Can you see the Octagonal Key over there in apricot? It was still done in a sheer fashion so that the woodgrain showed through, sort of a faux inlay.
So the next time you’re thinking of adding painted floors to a home, know that it can be done at any time and that the patterns can be customized to suit your space best!